Financial Independence

Kadek Armayanti’s Story

My life story

When I was three years old I fell ill and had a constant fever. I went to the local healer and consulted a doctor in the hospital in Denpasar, which led me to stay in hospital for two months. They tried all sorts of treatments including physiotherapy but with no signs of improvement. I have one short weak leg and have to use a crutch to walk. Throughout all this my parents showed how much they loved me by taking me to school and even to temple ceremonies.

Despite my condition, I was happy and grateful that people around me were able to accept and understand my situation, so I never felt embarrassed to go out and play with my friends. Naturally there were occasional incidents that were hurtful. When I started junior high school some students made fun of me because I couldn’t join in some of the activities. However this motivated me to develop my abilities in other areas.

After three years I completed junior high school and continued on to senior high in Gianyar. Because the school was quite a long way from home, I decided to rent a room near school, which meant I started living away from home. Because of the encouragement of teachers and friends, I tried as hard as I could to keep up with my studies. Although I had some short-comings, I always tried to do well. Once I came in third in my class and was always in the top ten. I was so thankful that my marks were good enough to make it easy for me to be accepted by Udayana University without having to undertake extra testing.

At Udayana I chose to study Electronic Communications for five years. The first time I attended lectures, I was shocked to see how few other women students there were in my course. During the orientation, which involved camping in tents in Negara, I had some memorable experiences. For example we had run around to collect all the teachers’ signatures in as short a time as possible. I just couldn’t keep up. Then I was often late coming to class as our lecture room was on the second floor. Usually the students and lecturers understood, but I still received several warnings. When it rained I didn’t attend, but when there were exams I always tried my best to get there even if I had to come dripping wet. I sometimes had to sit in the lecturer’s chair. I remained determined despite such experiences to keep up the struggle.

How I became involved with the Senang Hati Foundation

Half way through my studies, Putu Suriati and Vern Cork came looking for me in my room on campus. They are the people who set up the Foundation [which? Senang Hati? Kupu Kupu?]. They had heard about me through a neighbour of mine who worked in Ubud. They had previously been to my parent’s house in Payangan village. Vern told me about how they were forming a group for people with disabilities and asked if I would like to join. Although I was interested, I was still too busy with my studies but I fondly recalled how nice it had been to be with other people with disabilities when I had spent a year in Java at the YAKKUM Rehabilitation Centre in Jogja, when my weak leg was fitted with a brace and I had physiotherapy.

After a couple of years, when I was about to complete my studies, I made time to come to ask about Vern and Putu at the Kupu Kupu Foundation only to be told to go to the Senang Hati Centre in Tampaksiring where I finally met them again. From that very first moment I felt welcome and at home because on my arrival they asked me to join their meal. I felt happy and quite moved and believed that this was a place where I could share thoughts and feelings and open a new page in my life. I decided to come three days a week and join the activities that were to become so important in changing my life.

After some time, I began to be involved in representing Senang Hati at meetings with VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas, a UK based organisation) in their discussions on people with disabilities in Bali. I represented the Senang Hati Foundation at a Training the Trainer course in Solo, Central Java, in June, 2004, with the aim that I would be able to undertake community awareness-raising activities. Shortly after this I joined a Leadership Assertiveness training course, also in Jogja.

Finally I went to a meeting with VSO about writing disability project proposals. Through such activities I felt that my life was becoming more meaningful. I was no longer left behind by the mainstream and I also felt motivated to change my life situation to make it even better.

Skills I want to improve

I underwent training under Uthe [person. more...] in working with people with low vision at the Indera Hospital [they got a website? seems not...] in Denpasar. After that I was sent for further training to Australia in October, 2004, to learn about adaptive computers so that I could bring this knowledge back to use with people with low vision in Bali.